Welcome to Cinemashrink

where movies meet myth and open a new path to understanding ourselves and perceptual realities.

Jane Alexander Stewart, Ph.D. invites you to find myth in film, see the movie you didn’t see. read more

Myth in Film,

Myth in Your Life

Mirror, Mirror on the Wall

Film is often a mirror of reflection for viewers. At first, there is what is. The characters and story first create a look of recognition. Then there’s the story beneath the surface. What lies behind the familiar? The image of a mother stimulates our minds to layer the particular in the film with both personal and universal associations. Outer and inner images interact simultaneously, generating instances of synchronicity. We are transported into a liminal zone where imagination reigns over reality.
Reflections of any event can activate the imagination. And once arousal occurs, insight and change are in the offing. Seeing the connection with ourselves in a film is a chance to feel an archetype at work in our psyche. Metaphor is the language of film. A red rose on a table sets the stage for passion to enter. The visual image slides from screen to psyche. The feeling that lay dormant beneath the flatly recognizable rose appears for the taking. The mirror of film opens the image to feel what isn’t seen by turning inside and out into one impression.
When the conversion is felt, the psyche expands. It’s not the mirror but the imagination that enlivens what’s seen. James Hillman, archetypal psychologist, calls this phenomenon “personification”. Magic lies in the connection, the synchronicity of flickering images play with dark and light to reveal hidden meaning. In ordinary terms, it’s an imagining into the image. Everything is then of the psyche. This is the treasure sought in film.
“Mirror, mirror, on the wall…whose story do you tell? Mine, of course!

Stonehenge

Stonehenge embodies my vision for Cinemashrink, a mythic symbol of doorways both real and imaginary to understanding and perceiving the depth and diversity of human life on earth.

The stones are thought to come out of Africa, transported by Merlin, storied by Arthurian legends, steeped in Druid rituals, and situated like an astronomer’s instrument on high ground eyeing the universe and beyond.

I call upon Shakespeare for the term “Art Magicke” to tie Stonehenge and film together. Both bring art and technology together to create visions of inestimable value to the pursuit of our fullest and most picturesque grasp of reality.

W.B. Yeats wrote of Stonehenge as “a bag of dreams”.Close enough to film for me.

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Hi Friends and Family,

My latest film essays – Seeking the Elder Hero in Riding Alone for Thousands of Milesand The Salt of the Earth– are posted here as well as new Treasure Trove capsules.
IF you’re not out enjoying the evening light of summer and you are looking for a movie to watch, SEE a gem in my Summer Trove, BECAUSE they’re compelling.
My film capsules — IF, SEE, BECAUSE – are a little like a menu, asking you IF you’re interested in the film, suggesting what’s special to SEE and saying why, BECAUSE there’s more than a title to a film.

Clicking on a title will take you to Cinemashrink Trove. Just scroll down alphabetically to the title and click again. Voila!!

Cinemashrink’s Valentine gift to you

I’m reinventing Cinemashrink this month, leaping away from html to blog where I can make entries without calling in an expert!Think of it as a 2015 Valentine, enjoy.

My latest film essays – Philomena,Ida and My Old Lady– are posted here as well as new Treasure Trove capsules.All film essays and capsules are alphabetically listed so you can search easily, pick one and find my perspective on a film.I add film capsules regularly.Come back often when you’re looking for a film to watch.When I write a film essay, I post it…and send out an email to my friends and family.

Winter Trove

Wondering what to watch? Check The Trove for new gems to add to your list: